Production Print Preview (P3): Review and Approval

A Production Print Preview, or P3, allows your organization to review representative test records and/or the complete Live production population before physical badges are printed. The eXpress badging® Production team renders the applicable badge records as a PDF and provides it through an approved secure-delivery method.

A P3 is a production-data verification tool—not a badge-design proof.

The approved formal proof controls the badge design and documented production specifications. A Test P3 helps confirm that representative data, photographs, design logic, and variable-field behavior render as intended. The approved Live P3 controls the final record population, visible variable data, photographs, badge assignments, front-and-back pairings, quantity, and production order.

Only an approved Live P3 authorizes the production of physical badges.

Do not approve a P3 while corrections, unanswered questions, or missing records remain.

Index

1. When a P3 Is Recommended
2. Test P3 and Live P3 
3. What a P3 Verifies
4. What a P3 Does Not Replace
5. P3 Review and Approval Process
6. How to Review the P3
7. Reporting P3 Corrections
8. Design Changes Discovered During P3 Review
9. Additional P3 Rounds and Charges
10. P3 Approval and Reprint Responsibility
11. Protecting P3 Information
12. Final P3 Approval Checklist

When a P3 Is Recommended

A P3 may be included or recommended for:

• Large production orders
• Projects containing multiple badge designs or badge types
• Orders requiring a specific record, grouping, or sort sequence
• Duplex projects requiring front-and-back verification
• Projects involving high-cost card materials
• Orders printed on RFID, contactless, smart-card, or other technology card stock

Reviewing a P3 is especially valuable before printing on RFID or other expensive card stock because visible data, photograph, badge-assignment, and record-population errors can be identified before those cards are consumed.

Whether a P3 is included and the number of review rounds provided are determined by the approved project specifications.

Test P3 and Live P3

A project may use a representative Test P3 before the complete Live P3 is prepared.

Representative Test P3

After the applicable badge designs and production specifications have been formally approved, the customer should provide a representative set of sample records and photographs whenever the production population contains different designs, design logic, data lengths, photograph formats, or other meaningful variations.

The representative test set should include:

• At least one record for every badge design or badge type
• At least one record for every design-logic outcome
• Short, typical, and unusually long field values
• Records that test automatic font-size reduction
• Representative photographs with applicable crops, positions, and orientations
• Examples containing blank, optional, unusual, or maximum-length values when applicable
• Applicable front-and-back design combinations

The Test P3 allows these representative conditions to be reviewed before the complete Live production population is rendered.

A Test P3 does not authorize physical badge production.

If representative test data is not provided, the Test P3 is skipped and the customer proceeds directly to review of the Live P3.

Live P3

The Live P3 contains the submitted production population intended for physical printing. The customer must review the complete Live P3, including every applicable record, photograph, design assignment, front-and-back pairing, quantity, and production sequence.

Only the final approved Live P3 authorizes eXpress badging® to begin physical badge production.

What a P3 Verifies

The P3 allows your organization to review whether:

• The correct individuals are included in the production batch
• Any records are missing or duplicated
• Names, titles, identification numbers, expiration dates, and other visible variable information are correct
• Each photograph is assigned to the correct record
• Any required photographs are missing
• Photographs are cropped, positioned, and displayed appropriately
• Each record is assigned to the correct badge design or badge type
• The correct front and back are paired for every duplex badge
• Long names, titles, and other information fit and remain readable
• Visible barcodes, QR codes, identification numbers, and other record-specific elements contain the expected information
• The expected number of badges is included
• The production and sort order are correct

Review the P3 at a readable magnification. Do not rely only on thumbnail images or a quick page-by-page scan.

What a P3 Does Not Replace

A P3 does not replace:

• A Veonics® Virtual ID preview
• A formal badge-design proof
• A scanned production proof
• A physical printed sample
• Card-technology, encoding, or reader testing

Because the P3 is a PDF generated from badge-production software, it may not accurately represent:

• Exact printed color
• Card-surface appearance
• Dye-sublimation printing characteristics
• Lamination appearance or tolerances
• Precise edge-to-edge alignment
• Rounded physical card corners
• Slot-punch results
• RFID or other card-technology performance

A badge image may appear slightly off-center within the PDF page or production-software frame. That placement does not necessarily represent its precise position on the finished card.

However, do not disregard content that appears clipped, displaced, missing, or inconsistent with the approved formal proof. Report the concern before approving the P3.

A P3 also does not verify RFID encoding or cloning, chip functionality, antenna performance, card-reader compatibility, barcode or QR-code scanning, magnetic-stripe encoding, or other card-technology functions. Complete the applicable testing separately when those functions are included in the project.

For information about the preceding design-approval process, see ID Badge Proofing and Production Approval.

P3 Review and Approval Process

Unless otherwise specified in the approved project requirements, the P3 process is:

1. The applicable badge designs and production specifications are formally proofed and approved.
2. The customer provides representative test records and photographs when the project contains multiple designs, design logic, differing data lengths, photograph variations, or other conditions requiring validation.
3. The eXpress badging® Production team prepares a representative Test P3.
4. The customer reviews the Test P3 and confirms that the representative conditions render as intended.
5. If representative test data is not provided, the Test P3 is skipped.
6. The customer provides or approves the complete Live production data and photographs.
7. The eXpress badging® Production team imports the records and prepares the Live production population.
8. The complete Live production population is rendered as a P3 PDF.
9. The Live P3 is provided through an approved secure-delivery method.
10. At least two authorized and qualified individuals review the complete Live P3.
11. The customer submits any required corrections as one consolidated and clearly documented list.
12. The customer corrects the applicable source data, photographs, or Portal records and resubmits them as instructed.
13. A corrected Live P3 is prepared when required.
14. An authorized customer representative approves the final Live P3 in writing.
15. Physical badge production begins after all required approvals have been received.

The initial P3 service includes one representative Test P3 when qualifying test data is provided, one initial Live P3, and one corrected Live P3 following one consolidated correction list.

P3 approval authorizes the eXpress badging® Production team to print the records shown in the approved Live P3 using the previously approved badge designs and documented production specifications.

How to Review the P3

Review the production population

Confirm that:

• Every intended individual or record is included
• No unintended or duplicate records are included
• The total quantity is correct
• The production, grouping, and sort order are correct

Review the visible data

Confirm that:

• Names, titles, identification numbers, expiration dates, and other variable values are correct
• Capitalization, punctuation, abbreviations, and number formatting are correct
• Long values fit and remain readable
• Visible barcodes, QR codes, or identification numbers contain the expected information

The P3 displays customer-provided production data. Verify that the information shown is correct; do not assume that earlier sample data represents the final production records.

Review the photographs

Confirm that:

• Each photograph belongs to the correct person
• Every required photograph is present
• Photographs display in the expected shape and position
• Cropping, rotation, and orientation are acceptable
• No photograph is incorrectly duplicated or assigned

Review badge assignments and pairings

Confirm that:

• Each record uses the correct badge design or badge type
• Badge types and controlling values produce the expected designs
• Color-coded designs are correctly assigned
• The correct front and back are paired for every duplex badge
• Records appear in the required production sequence

A correctly rendered example does not confirm that every record has been assigned correctly. Review the entire production population.

Reporting P3 Corrections

If an error is discovered, do not approve the P3. Review the remainder of the file and, whenever possible, submit one consolidated correction list.

The customer is responsible for correcting its source data, photographs, and customer-managed Veonics® Portal records. Depending on the approved workflow, the customer may request access to its Portal account to make corrections or may correct its source files and photographs for re-import.

If eXpress badging® is requested to investigate, edit, reformat, retouch, crop, reposition, or otherwise correct customer-provided data or photographs, the work requires customer approval and will be invoiced as additional Professional Services. Any applicable charges will be disclosed for approval before the work begins.

For each correction:

• Identify the P3 version
• Identify the affected page
• Identify the affected record, employee, member, student, or identification number
• State the existing information
• Provide the exact required correction
• Identify any record that must be added, removed, or moved
• Explain whether the correction affects the source data, photograph, badge type, front-and-back pairing, quantity, or sort order

Do not approve the P3 with the expectation that a correction will be made afterward. All known corrections must be completed and shown in the final approved P3 before physical production begins.

Review the complete corrected P3. A correction may affect record order, page count, badge assignments, front-and-back pairings, or another production record.

Design Changes Discovered During P3 Review

The P3 is not intended for badge-design development or design approval.

If a badge-design correction is requested or discovered after the applicable formal proof has been approved:

1. The project is placed on hold.
2. Approval is withdrawn for each affected badge design.
3. The corrected badge design is prepared and formally re-proofed.
4. The corrected formal proof is reviewed and approved.
5. A new P3 is generated using the newly approved design.
6. The new P3 is reviewed and approved before production resumes.

A change affecting one badge design does not necessarily invalidate unaffected designs. The eXpress badging® Production team will identify the affected proofs and P3 pages.

Design revisions, re-proofing, and regenerated P3 files may require additional production time and approved charges.

Additional P3 Rounds and Charges

P3 Service Levels, Additional Rounds, and Charges

The P3 service fee is based on the number of records contained in the Live production population:

Live production population	P3 service fee
Up to 100 records	$100
101–1,000 records	$250
1,001–10,000 records	$500
Each additional 10,000 records or portion thereof	$500

The initial P3 service includes:

• One representative Test P3 when the qualifying test data is provided
• One initial Live P3
• One corrected Live P3 following one consolidated correction list

If representative test data is not provided, the Test P3 is skipped.

A second or subsequent correction cycle may require another P3 service charge. Additional P3 charges may also apply when:

• Corrections are not submitted as one consolidated list
• Previously reviewed data or photographs are changed
• New records are submitted after the Live P3 has been prepared
• The production population changes after review
• A design change requires a new formal proof and regenerated P3
• A previously approved P3 must be regenerated

The additional P3 charge is based on the number of records that must be regenerated and reviewed, subject to the applicable minimum charge.

Customer-requested data or photograph investigation, editing, formatting, cropping, repositioning, or correction performed by eXpress badging® is not included in the P3 service fee and requires approved Professional Services.

All additional charges will be disclosed and approved before billable work begins.

A customer will not be charged to correct a P3 that fails to accurately reflect the information, files, instructions, or approved badge designs properly provided to the eXpress badging® Production team.

 

P3 Approval and Reprint Responsibility

Final Live P3 approval authorizes physical production of the records shown in the approved Live P3. 

The approving representative must have authority to approve the organization’s production records and authorize badge production.

 Reprints required because of an error visible in the approved Live P3, incorrect information approved by the customer, or a customer-requested change made after P3 approval will be produced at the customer’s expense.

This responsibility does not apply when the finished badges fail to conform to the approved P3, approved formal proof, or documented production specifications. Eligible production errors remain subject to the applicable eXpress badging® Reprint Guarantee.

If information changes after approval, notify eXpress badging® before production whenever possible. A change may require a corrected P3, new approval, additional production time, or an approved charge.

Protecting P3 Information

A P3 may contain photographs, identification numbers, employee or member information, and other sensitive data.

Your organization should:

• Limit access to authorized reviewers
• Use the approved secure-delivery method
• Avoid forwarding the P3 through unsecured email
• Store downloaded copies only in approved locations
• Delete or dispose of review copies according to applicable organizational privacy and records-retention requirements

Do not distribute the P3 to individuals who are not responsible for reviewing or approving the production batch.

Final P3 Approval Checklist

 Before providing final written approval of the Live P3, confirm: 

• We reviewed the complete P3 at a readable magnification.
• At least two authorized and qualified individuals reviewed the P3.
• The correct production population is included.
• No records are missing or duplicated.
• Names, titles, identification numbers, expiration dates, and other visible data are correct.
• Every photograph is assigned to the correct record.
• Every required photograph is present and displays acceptably.
• Each record uses the correct badge design or badge type.
• Frontside and backside records are paired correctly.
• Long names and other variable information fit and remain readable.
• Visible barcodes, QR codes, and identification numbers contain the expected information.
• The total badge quantity is correct.
• The production and sort order are correct.
• Every requested correction appears in the final P3.
• No unanswered questions or unresolved concerns remain.
• The signer is authorized to approve production.

If any item remains uncertain, do not approve the P3. Document the concern and request confirmation or correction from eXpress badging®.